By Mike London
Salisbury Post
CHINA GROVE — If there was one play that defined Carson’s breakout 41-20 win on the road at Salisbury it was a kickoff return by Carson junior Rosean Perkins that left a pile of bodies strewn in his wake.
Five Hornets became road-kill before Perkins (his first name is pronounced Ro-shon) finally was brought to the ground. Carson head coach Jonathan Lowe said it was the best kickoff return he’s ever seen.
Perkins accepted the kickoff, back-pedaling to about the Carson 6, before he took off. He had a full head of steam rolling before he encountered any opposition, and that meant trouble for the Hornets.
“Saw the ball coming, caught it, and ran low,” Perkins said. “I put my shoulder into a few guys, broke some tackles, and I got some great blocks from teammates.”
Perkins was finally brought down inside the Salisbury 40.
Perkins brings the same intensity and desire to the Carson backfield that he does to a kickoff return. He’s an ideal back in that he has tackle-breaking power between the tackles, the grinding mentality to rack up steady 5s and 6s for long drives, but also the necessary speed to break the 35s and 40s if he finds daylight. He scored two TDs against Salisbury, and both were after he got to the edge and turned the corner.
“We’ve got a four-headed monster in the backfield,” Lowe said. “Rosean and Damo’n Broussard are outstanding backs. Griffin Barber (the quarterback) makes good decisions and is a smart runner. Trip Marcum is that fullback every team needs. As the dive man, he’s going to get hit on every play, whether he has the ball or not. Usually he doesn’t have it, but he sacrifices his body for us every Friday.”
The scary thing for the South Piedmont Conference when it comes to Perkins and Broussard is that they are still young. While Carson has a senior-laden team, two of the most talented players are the young backs. Broussard is a sophomore who will be a four-year varsity standout. Perkins is a junior.
“We have a very good mix for this team with a lot of experienced seniors and some exceptional young guys,” Lowe said.
Broussard and Perkins finished the Salisbury game as two of the county’s top four in rushing yards. Both are about 5-foot-10. Perkins (186 pounds) is a little thicker than his running mate, who checks in at 178. Perkins and Broussard usually get an almost identical number of carries. Perkins has 309 yards on 42 carries after four games. Broussard has more yards (374) at this point because he’s broken a few really long ones.
“Our carries are split, and we don’t mind that,” Perkins said. “I run as hard as I can when I get the ball. I try to make a good block if I don’t. Our offense (veer) is a very good offense for me and for our team.”
It’s working.
Barber is making good decisions and limiting mistakes. He has thrown zero interceptions. Lowe said the team offensive performance against the Hornets was “lights out.” Low focuses on yards per play and the Cougars averaged 6 yards per play against Salisbury. That will win almost every Friday.
The most impressive stat for Perkins has been 7.4 yards per carry. He’s had four consistent games. While his game against Salisbury was strong, it wasn’t out of context with any of his other games. He’s been productive in all four.
Perkins did face some adversity in the tight Mount Pleasant game, with two lost fumbles. But he was able to be tough mentally and move on to the next play. He delivered the decisive touchdown in the 35-32 road victory that ignited a Carson winning streak.
Perkins (541 yards) and Broussard (499) were sixth and seventh on the Rowan County rushing list in 2024. Broussard had 15 more carries mostly because Perkins missed some games.
Perkins is a great athlete, but there’s some close competition as far as who’s the best in the family. He has a twin. His sister Tasean Perkins is a high-flying outside hitter for the Carson volleyball team that leads the SPC.
“I don’t get to see her play a lot, but there are some days when the volleyball team is playing at home and I can get to the gym after football practice,” Perkins said.
While volleyball is usually the most successful fall sport at Carson, this year the football team may provide competition. The Cougars needed only four games to match last season’s victory total.
twin sister is on volleyball team tasean perkins
both tds vs salidbury ge got the edge 5-10 186
brou is 5-10, 178
2025 Rushing Att. Yds. TD
Woolf, SR 66 561 8
Broussard, Car 43 374 5
White, WR 58 334 6
Grier, ALB 34 315 5
Perkins, Car 42 309 4
2024 rushing
Tarver, North 156 1218 9
Neely, West 220 1056 12
Kennedy, West 107 845 12
Krider, Salis 151 822 8
Herron, ALB 158 804 5
